


importance

by EsotericExpositionRenko



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Childhood Friends, Gen, Heroine-Adventurer Kasumi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spellcrafter Rina, Strategist/Guildmaster Shizuku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-01-22 23:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21310696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EsotericExpositionRenko/pseuds/EsotericExpositionRenko
Summary: Kasumi visits her childhood best friend Rina after a year-and-a-half journey, now a renowned heroine.Spellcrafter Rina is unaware of the plans her best and only friend had in store for her.
Relationships: Kasumi Nakasu & Rina Tennoji
Comments: 11
Kudos: 46





	1. reintroduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is simply a setup, more things will come
> 
> i have a rough outline, it most likely will change down the line

Rina Tennoji was a spellcrafter. A good one, too. Although she wasn’t exactly well known, she didn’t mind- her innovations and quality-of-life focus on spellcasting were for personal use, and what others thought really didn’t matter much to her.  
  
Well…that wasn’t entirely true. The only other opinion she gave significant value to was the opinion of her childhood friend- one almost completely opposite to her in personality, that being one Kasumi Nakasu. Really, the only other presence to have set foot in Rina’s isolated tower, but even then, it had been so long since she’s ever even _heard_ from her.

To say she was surprised would be an understatement, when her past few days have been such a blur. And it all started with a knock on the door.  
  
\---  
  
Her focus was broken by a presence at the foot of her tower. One to take various precautions, a spell was in place to inform her of any movement around the base of her tower- and even then, her tower was surrounded by well-maintained fields of illusion magic. She wasn’t violent in any extent, and although she _could_ make it so that trespassers be severely punished for attempting to sneak in her tower, she didn’t really see it fair.  
  
Nonetheless, she had to check it out. Not many people could get past her fields- especially considering counterspells for most of them hadn’t existed yet, because she had _just made most of them_ without ever telling _anyone_.  
  
First came a knock. And then more knocking, increasing in intensity. Something about this felt familiar…could it be…  
  
“Rina-chan!” came the voice the spellcrafter could never forget.  
  
It was.  
  
Wasting no more time, she hastily rushed to open the door. Usually, on supply runs and the times she absolutely needed to venture into civilization, she cast an illusion spell on herself- specifically her face, imitating emotion to a scary degree.  
  
But never with Kasumi. Not only did the other girl know Rina like one would a close family member, Rina couldn’t ever bring herself to lie, period. And especially not to Kasumi. Even if the hero standing on her doorstep wouldn’t return the favor, scheming and withholding information from the spellcrafter.  
  
  
Rina wasn’t going to lie, on more than one occasion she did feel hurt that Kasumi didn’t seem to trust her, but every time Kasumi lied about something, it always turned out to be for her good, or the greater good of most people involved. Even if the hero came off as sinister, when talking about her latest plan, sometimes even going so far to indulge herself in cackling more fitting of…well, a witch living in a tower.  
  
“Kasumin…”  
  
“Awh, and here I’d thought you would’ve been delighted to see your bestest friend in the entire universe! It’s been what, a year?”  
  
“A year and a half…”  
  
The ashen haired girl pulled Rina in an embrace, one the spellcrafter was all too eager to return.  
  
“You’re still wearing that..?” Rina says, having gotten a better look at Kasumi’s clothing, specifically the pink badge sporting a smiley face pinned on the hero’s chest area.  
  
“Well, of course! Why wouldn’t I? Even if it isn’t one of the best antimagical artifacts created in the world- and that’s an objective truth, by the way- I’d still wear it every day. You made it just for me!”  
  
Right, that also explains how Kasumi was able to bypass her fields. Rina made a charm for Kasumi’s safety back when the hero was still but an adventurer, and Rina didn’t tell her (primarily because Kasumi felt it didn’t need to be asked) but it was a gift that took a little over a month to create.  
  
She was proud, even happy, that Kasumi seemed to have valued it so much. Of course, that didn’t show on her facial expression- but Kasumi knew her friend well enough to see that she was glad.  
  
Kasumi was the first to break away from Rina, much to the spellcrafter’s mild annoyance.  
  
“Ehe~ Before you complain, let me change, first. Then you can hug me aaaalll you want~!”  
  
Rina lets out a huff, barely noticeable to anyone but the hero. She conceded, though. Although Kasumi wasn’t wearing armor, she was still carrying around a bunch of stuff that would complicate things. A sack of…_something_ was set by her side. Rina wasn’t sure what Kasumi was bringing with her, or why, but she’s probably going to tell her eventually.  
  
The tired-looking yet extremely awake (and excited) spellcrafter steps to the side to let the girl in her abode. The sheathed sword at Kasumi’s side was quickly taken off and placed on a nearby table as Kasumi made herself at home.  
  
Rina would complain, if the place wasn’t already messy due to her negligence. It wasn’t her fault her tower was so large (it was, but she couldn’t help it. Some spells failed, and some spells didn’t do what they were intended to do. A shrinking spell making something, say, a house, taller for example). The spellcrafter excused herself to fix something up for her guest, preferably a warm drink.  
  
She really needed to tidy up her tower, it was getting increasingly difficult to navigate, and similarly, increasingly dangerous. Her innovations and inventions littered the place, and although none of them were built with offensive capability in mind, they were still harboring potent magical potential. In other words, they could explode if she messes up.  
  
Not the first time she’s had something explode on her, but…she’d like to avoid that. And she’d never forgive herself if anything she created caused harm to her only friend.  
  
While she carefully tread over to her designated ‘kitchen’ room, her mind wandered and reminisced.  
  
\---  
  
When Kasumi announced she was going on an adventure- to see the world, Rina was happy for her friend. It had always been a lifetime dream of the then-young girl to brave the outside world, to explore and find treasure.  
  
In the process, Kasumi became a hero of great renown. Kasumi sent weekly letters, which became bi-weekly, and then monthly as she grew ever-popular and her workload increased.  
  
Rina couldn’t handle fame. She couldn’t handle being the center of attention, in fact, that was one of the reasons Kasumi was incredibly important to her, in the orphanage they grew up in.  
  
Kasumi was great at being the center of attention. Every eye on her was one eye less on the socially awkward and shunned Rina.  
  
\---  
  
  
  
Before she knew it, the hot chocolate was ready. Rina had a great grasp on how the world worked, and applying magic to make…well, the magical equivalent of home appliances was the logical next step. Less time spent on making sure she ate enough and took good enough care of herself was more time she could spend spellcrafting and researching. She went back to the living room.  
  
“Sorry for the wait, Kasumin.”  
  
What greeted Rina was the visage of Kasumi in a skintight garment that covered her entire body save for the hands, feet and of course head, seemingly lazing around her Rina’s spacious living room couch. Her clothing was neatly folded and placed on the table- and a bunch of other things were placed on the table too, organized neatly. Rina recognized some of them as rare materials, some of them were magical artifacts, and…some of them were clothing.  
  
Kasumi jolted back upright at Rina’s voice, flashing her a smile.  
  
“Fufu, it’s not a problem!”  
  
The hero pat the space on the couch next to her, at which point Rina sat down in her Kasumi-designated spot and offered her the cup of hot chocolate.  
  
Now, Rina understood Kasumi’s decision to wear her skintight suit. It provided good protection against the elements, another layer separating her flesh from a blade, and it, most importantly, stopped uncomfortable clothing and armor from abrading her skin. But still, it was extremely distracting in their current situation, the black fabric clinging to the girl’s form.  
  
(Kasumi intended for this to happen, in all honesty.)  
  
Rina would be a terrible magus if her willpower was lacking. When the initial bout of distraction waned, she wasn’t too affected.  
  
But there _was_ something she couldn’t- no, didn’t want to resist. And that would be embracing her. Kasumi did give her permission to ‘hug her all she wanted’, and Rina was going to capitalize on that.  
  
And so she did, the two soon spending time in comfortable, intermittent silence. Rina sensed that Kasumi was tired, and aside from general small talk, Rina made sure not to tax Kasumi with too many questions.  
  
The artifacts could wait.  
  
\---  
  
Empty mugs joined the artifacts neatly set on the table, the peaceful night sky gently casting rays of moonlight through the tower’s windows. Some time ago, the pair had drifted off to sleep.  
  
The gentle lighting barely illuminated their sleeping forms- peaceful expressions on their faces, their reunion after a year and a half of separation spent in the comfort of each other’s arms.


	2. renew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bath time

Morning came, the warm sunlight peeking through the tower’s windows and gently washing over its inhabitants.  
  
Kasumi would be the first to awaken, naturally, as she had been the first to drift off into sleep. Rina also wasn’t the type to maintain what one would call a ‘proper sleeping schedule’- she didn’t need to, she rested as long as her body needed, and woke up right after. Of course, that wasn’t exactly healthy or all that sustainable. Kasumi wasn’t entirely aware of Rina’s state of mortality, but…  
  
She wasn’t having that. No, she had plans in mind for her childhood friend. Her childhood friend who had been faithfully clinging to her ever since the pink-haired spellcrafter fell asleep…  
  
…well, it couldn’t be helped. Her plans could wait a few more minutes. Kasumi gently lets her palm ghost over the other girl’s hair. As expected, it was coarse.  
  
Whenever Rina decided to wake up, they had a lot to do.  
  
\---  
  
“…and then I cut the specter in half! It was really messy, but it was worth it for the stuff people gave me after, ehehe!”  
  
Rina wasn’t expecting to be out of her tower this early. She provides only a yawn and a nod in response to Kasumi’s ramblings. Well…in normal occasions, Rina would be interested, invested, and completely focused on what her ashen-haired friend had to say, but not now.  
  
Now, she was sleepy, and forced to walk to a nearby lake so that Kasumi could, and she quotes, ‘bathe her properly’. Potential bonding reasons aside, Rina didn’t see why this was necessary- she was doing just fine beforehand…but Kasumi was stubborn, and Rina didn’t really have it in her to refuse. She never did, whenever the mischievous heroine was involved.  
  
And besides, even if only for old time’s sake, she’d probably still relent.  
  
“Ah, here we are!”  
  
The girl rushes down to the lake’s shore, carrying a few containers of unknown substances with her all the while. Rina of course follows close behind, but not at the excited pace the other was maintaining.  
Rina was certain they were alone, nobody really ever bothered to venture this deep into the forest- people who have heard of her know where to look for her, and the people living in the nearby town seem to have a mutual agreement not to venture too far into the woods.  
  
She probably was used as a deterrent- an evil force, even- in the scary stories they told children. She didn’t mind if that were true.  
  
Kasumi wasted no time in undressing herself, practically leaping into the (at this hour) slightly cold lake.  
  
Rina pitied the beings who called that portion of the lake home. Kasumi’s stunt must’ve caused quite the disturbance.  
  
“Aah, it’s cooold!” the heroine whines, the validity of the complaint questionable.  
  
“You should’ve tested the waters first.” Rina lets out a small huff that would have been a chuckle if only she were capable. The intended message reached Kasumi, though.  
  
Rina had finished disrobing, herself, and had now (messily) folded her used clothing and placed it on the ground, somewhere she’d easily see and remember.  
  
“Hmph…looking down on me, are you? Well, then…”  
  
Rina suddenly finds herself pulled into the water, creating an even larger splash than Kasumi did.  
  
“Gotcha!”  
  
Rina wasn’t about to stand by without fighting back, though. When she surfaced, she almost immediately cast a spell in retaliation- sending a small, yet still significant wave of water aimed at the ashen haired girl’s face.  
  
“Hey! No fair, I didn’t say you could use magic!”  
  
“You had the upper hand, it’s only fair!”  
  
The two would then continue splashing around like children. Even with Rina’s slight magical assistance, Kasumi easily overpowered her in aquatic combat- being practically superhuman helped, to nobody’s surprise.  
  
“It’s over, Rina! I have the high ground!”  
  
“Get down from there, Kasumin! You’re not wearing anything!”  
  
“Mwahahaha~!”  
  
\---   
  
After the commotion has died down, Kasumi went to work on doing what she…well, set out to do in the first place, to bathe Rina properly.  
  
“Unless you want me to wash you every day for the rest of your life, you’d do well to pay attention and remember what I do to you.”  
  
Rina lets out a hum in response, since she couldn’t say much else. Her vision was obscured by the amalgamation of bubbles and her own hair. This was…pleasurable, Kasumi’s deft fingers threading through the pinkette’s hair and straightening it out to an impressive degree.  
  
“I forgot your hair was naturally straight, Rina-chan. You need to take better care of it!”  
  
If it weren’t for their earlier physical activity, Rina might have drifted back right off into sleep. That, and well…Kasumi’s voice wasn’t exactly ‘soothing’. It helped her stay awake. Rina meant that in the nicest possible way.  
  
“Hey, can you duck under the water for a bit? It’s time to wash it off.”  
  
Rina did, sinking herself into the water momentarily before rising back to surface, finally being able to see again. Of course, Kasumi was still making sure her hair was thoroughly cleaned, so Rina couldn’t exactly leave yet.  
  
Not that she wanted to.  
  
\---  
  
A fresh change of clothing, and Rina feeling better than she’s ever felt In her life. Something new she’s learned- her oversized robes feel _much_ better like this, and having smooth hair for once was a blessing- it didn’t get caught on so many things now.  
  
Though she still didn’t have proper hygiene as a top priority, it was at the very least present- and compounded with today’s events, it got bumped up a few places on Rina’s priority list.  
  
She felt energized. And Kasumi seemed to notice this.  
  
“Feels great, right?”  
  
“Mhm…Thanks, Kasumin.”  
  
Rina couldn’t smile, but Kasumi’s was bright enough for the both of them.  
  
“Good! We’ve got plenty more stuff to do, so you better stay energized, ya hear?”  
  
“Sure, sure.”  
  
Even though only Kasumi could really pick up on it, Rina’s tone was content. Of course, in reality, it only sounded like a different kind of monotone than it usually was, but the difference was there!  
  
\---  
  
_“What do you want to be when you grow up, Kasumi-chan?”_  
  
_“I wanna help people all over the land and make them smile and be happy!”_  
  
_“Mh…I’d like that, too…”_  
  
_“Then we’ll do it together! Promise!”_  
  
_“…Promise.”_  
  
_The covenant between the two children was sealed, and although one of them would soon forget, the other never did._


	3. review

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> is this a shippy fic or a plot fic  
yes

“Next on the list…”  
  
Kasumi pores over an itemized list she made in about an hour after surveying the entirety of Rina’s tower (without her superhuman abilities, it would’ve approximately taken half a day, considering how large and messy it was), an itemized list detailing what things needed cleaning and which items should be put where. Of course, she roped Rina into it. It was her tower, after all.  
  
“Hahh…is this…really necessary, Kasumin?!” cries out the physically frail spellcrafter after carrying a box full of misplaced artifacts- artifacts Kasumi wanted to categorize and organize.  
  
“Of course it is! Well…not really, but the personal growth you’re going through is priceless! I bet you regret hoarding all these artifacts and throwing them all around the place now.”  
  
“Of…of course I do…”  
  
“Well, you’ve just learned _not_ to do that! Which is an important lesson. Hoarding isn’t attractive, Rina-chan.”  
  
“What does _that_ have to do with anything, geez!”  
  
“At the very least, you’re cute when you’re angry. Fufufu~”  
  
Rina lets out a defeated sigh. As always, it was for her personal development. Really, if Rina wanted she could kick Kasumi out or just…_not_ do what she told her to do, but internally, she completely trusts the heroine. Even if she didn’t seem all that trustworthy, she just…was.  
  
But Rina had her limits, unsurprisingly. Kasumi notices the spellcrafter’s breaths growing more labored, the pinkette using a nearby piece of furniture to prop herself up, but even that, she was doubled over.  
  
“Hm…we should swap roles, Rina. I’ll do the lifting for a while!” She hands the notepad to the tired spellcrafter.  
  
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to follow my ‘no magic’ rule. It was more of a request, you know!”  
  
Rina knew why she chose not to use magic at Kasumi’s behest, though. It was a ‘watch me’ moment.  
  
She overestimated her own physical abilities- which really, was extremely easy to do. She didn’t pay much attention to her own limitations when it came to physical activities.  
  
She had less stamina and strength than the younger her. Probably something she should work on.  
  
Her eyesight wasn’t always this blurry, was it? Her vision was spinning, swirling…this was a familiar feeling- a wonder that it wasn’t causing her to throw up.  
  
She inhales sharply as her mind blanks.  
  
\---  
  
_“I can do it on my own, thank ya very much!”_  
  
_A vision. A broomstick, a rain of hellfire and high water. Applause, tired smiles, and bated breaths, waiting for the next wave._  
  
_“Too many of them…guess we’ll have to go all out. Come here, you.”_  
  
_“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”_  
  
_Music, a ballad of death…_  
  
\---  
  
“…ello? Hell-OOOOOO! Earth to Rina!”  
  
Rina lets out a gasp, being snapped out of her vision. She shook her head. The last time she had a vision was six months ago, and before then, it was an entire year since her first vision.  
  
They were happening more frequently, and Rina was unsure what to make of them. Nonetheless, she put those thoughts aside.  
  
“Ah- I’m sorry about that. I…spaced out.”  
  
Rina expected to see Kasumi’s pouting face and to hear her whining, but…no. Nothing _but _concern was present on the ashen-haired girl’s expression.  
  
A long sight comes from Kasumi.  
  
“Maybe we should take a break.”  
  
“No- no, that doesn’t usually happen…I’m fine, I can go on.”  
  
“Hrm…”  
  
Kasumi’s stare was intense, looking over every inch of the spellcrafter’s face- the eyes, in particular, before she relaxes her tensed self.  
  
“Fine. I believe you. But, if it happens again, then we’ll have to take a break. Got it?”  
  
“Sure…”  
  
Rina sounded uncertain, but that was more out of reciprocal concern for her friend than anything.  
  
Kasumi, meanwhile, had a sinking feeling she knew what Rina was going through. Hopefully she was wrong.  
  
Thankfully, the rest of the activity went well enough, with Rina assisting here and there with a consistently impressive display of levitation magic- the spellcrafter being able to move various objects at different speeds and going in different directions, her mind used to multitasking when it came to her spells. Kasumi, of course, was able to keep up with Rina’s pace given her speed.  
  
Rina felt the need to see Kasumi in action, one of these days…though to her, she’d always be the same girl she met in the orphanage, the person who’d accepted her despite her flaws. Maybe seeing the heroine fight would change her view of the crimson-eyed girl, but then again, maybe it wouldn’t.  
  
They would then spend a substantial amount of time admiring their handiwork, the sight of the tower so organized, so clean…it filled Rina with pride, somehow. And undoubtedly, it filled Kasumi with pride as well. Considering how smug she looked, that much was confirmed.  
  
“This will help my workflow immensely…thank you very much, Kasumin!”  
  
Rina exclaims, or more accurately, screams monotonously. Kasumi seems to have gotten the message, though, letting out a childish, content giggle.  
  
“Well…I’m definitely tuckered out from all of that.”  
  
She wasn’t. Far from it, actually.  
  
“And…looking at the time, it’s right about bedtime. We should go to sleep, Rina!”  
  
Kasumi takes Rina’s hand.  
  
Kasumi’s hand was warm, and…oddly devoid of the tight grip she usually employed when dragging Rina along. Kasumi seemed to be unusually gentle this time around, and although Rina truly was tired out from the day’s activities, she could notice.  
  
Rina felt a bit strange, thinking that this side of Kasumi was something she’d love to see more of. She gives Kasumi’s hand a gentle squeeze, more out of instinct than a conscious decision.  
  
The next few minutes passed in a blur, the heroine carefully leading Rina down the stairs to her bedroom. Kasumi stopped Rina from tripping countless times, Rina muttering apologies rendered unintelligible by her fatigue.  
  
“We’re here.”  
  
Kasumi lets go of Rina as they reached the foot of the bed, letting the spellcrafter ungracefully flop onto the fluffy embrace of her mattress.  
  
A few moments pass. Something was missing.  
  
Rina turns over onto her back, squinting her eyes in the darkness to look for a glint of red or the telltale sheen of ashen hair.  
  
“K…Kasumiiiin…”  
  
Rina whines, and though her plea was quiet, the recipient heard it well enough.  
  
“Hm? What is it, Rina-chan?” came the heroine’s voice, as she quickly went back into Rina’s immediate vicinity.  
  
“Where are you going…?”  
  
“Well…to sleep on the couch, obviously.”  
  
Kasumi had many reasons to want Rina to sleep alone. One of them being that Rina deserved to rest longer, and Kasumi always woke up early- and getting out of bed with Rina beside her would predictably be harmful to the spellcrafter’s sleep cycle.  
  
Rina had other plans, though.  
  
“C’mhere…I’m cold.”  
  
Kasumi chuckles, defeated yet amused.  
  
“You’re so demanding, you know that? But, I guess I’ll have to oblige.”  
  
After all, Rina was extremely clingy when she was a child. Given that Kasumi had practically left her alone for almost two years, she understood Rina’s desire for contact returning with a vengeance after what she’d assume to be a year and a half of repressed desires. Rina may have been a possibly unmatched spellcrafter, but she was still human at her core.  
  
Kasumi climbs into the bed, and although she was still practically brimming with energy, Rina’s arms being wrapped around her would be enough to quell her impulses. The pinkette fell asleep instantaneously.  
  
In these situations, the heroine’s mind would usually go wild. It was nigh-impossible not to think about the person currently taking up three of her five senses, compound that with just how fast her mind works and how vast her imagination could be, it was a recipe for disaster.  
  
It was also a recipe for tension.  
  
Before things could escalate even more in the supposed safety of her own mind, she forces herself to fall asleep- practically throwing herself into the throes of slumber.  
  
  
  
  



	4. reconnaissance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what even is 'proper pacing'  
(i apologize in advance for any broken necks as a result of future chapters' wacky pacing)

Rina stumbles through the grass, covered in blood and mud. She coughs once- twice, as the smoke and dust settles and she scrambles to get to a safe vantage point. She felt like she’d get sick- her weak constitution not helping her in the slightest.  
  
Kasumi was faring a lot better, fending off the group of enemies (‘raiders’, the heroine had called them, but Rina’s intuition told that wasn’t true), and was generally the reason why Rina was covered in blood that wasn’t hers in the first place (Kasumi took plenty of hits for the spellcaster). Despite the heroine’s warnings, Kasumi managed to get hit by a stray spell of unidentifiable origin.  
  
She really was fragile. But she wasn’t useless, no. The difference between a downed spellcaster and one that is on her feet is that a downed spellcaster is an easier target. Her vision blurry as she sputtered blood, she wills herself to focus.  
  
A small glint in her pink eyes would be the only indication to the enemy spellcasters to the sudden overload of magical energy in the area. Staves, wands, and in a few cases, arms, exploded.  
  
There were so many of them…after effectively disarming the magic users, she hoped Kasumi would take it from here. Even if one of them were as bold as to cast another spell after witnessing their paraphernalia explode, the disruption in the Ether should make it impossible to- without willpower and focus exceeding that of Rina’s- to cast any spells.  
  
This was the best the spellcaster could do for now.  
  
Doing this, however, painted a target on her head. One that Kasumi was eerily aware of.  
  
Kasumi was completely different on the battlefield.  
  
\---  
  
“Hah…that should be the last of them.”  
  
Kasumi had placed all of the ‘people’ she’s killed in a pile, much to Rina’s horror, obviously.  
  
“Burn ‘em, please. Else they’ll come back…what? I’ll explain later. Just do it.”  
  
The heroine sounded tired, but considering they fought through the equivalent of a small battalion (from the distance, the antagonizers didn’t seem that plentiful. Rina’s eyes may have been playing tricks on her, but in combat they seemed to duplicate), that much was to be expected.  
  
It was odd, how their enemies never seemed to bleed. Instead, they dissipated.  
  
And then, they began to melt.  
  
“Rina. Now.”  
  
The sense of urgency in her voice snaps the spellcrafter out of her train of thought. She quickly immolates the entirety of the pile, though making sure the grass stays intact. Mastering control over harmful elements like fire was essential for one who preferred conducting experiments inside a wood and stone tower.  
  
And when the remains have been sufficiently burnt into ash (odorless, Rina notes), Kasumi lets out a sigh.  
  
“They’ve gotten here, huh…”  
  
She places a contemplative hand on her cheek.  
  
“I suppose I owe you an explanation.”  
  
“Yes please.”  
  
\---  
  
This all started as an offer made by the ashen-haired heroine to explore the nearby town.  
  
Now, the two dreamers found their calling.  
  
\---  
  
“I don’t really know what they’re officially called. I don't even know where they _came_ from- but they've been following me. ‘Shadow people’ are the closest approximation, but even then, are they even people?”  
  
Kasumi begins to explain as she bandages up her (many) wounds, Rina doing her part to accelerate her friend’s healing. Instant healing was well within her capabilities, but it was pointless given they were out of imminent danger as far as she could tell.  
  
Not to mention the ominous feeling she’s been having up until the earlier fight had subsided. She took that as a good omen.  
  
“They don’t bleed, they don’t seem to communicate, but they can be incapacitated by pain. They know basic strategy, and they’ve been coming more frequently than I’m comfortable with.”  
  
She sighs, looking (genuinely) apologetic. She turns her head to face Rina.  
  
“Sorry for dragging you into this, Rina. They’re my responsibility, I should’ve taken care of ‘em before coming back here…”  
  
Rina shook her head.  
  
“No- you should’ve came sooner! I’m more than willing to help you, you know!”  
  
“…haha~, I always found it adorable, how you manage to sound so impassioned with such a straight face.”  
  
“I’m serious, Kasumin…”  
  
“H-huh? You’re…actually _pouting_ at me?! Talk about a first…but, I guess that means you really are serious.”  
  
A smug expression crosses Kasumi’s lips, before she sighs in resignation.  
  
“Alright. I’ll take you with me, and we’ll go on an adventure. Together.”  
  
She finishes wearing her light armor, promptly standing up and dusting herself off. She offers Rina a hand.  
  
Rina takes it.  
  
“…on one condition.”  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“I wanna see you pout again~”  
  
Rina groans.  
  
And from a distance, the spellcrafter could be seen chasing the playful heroine into town.  
  
\---  
  
Not long after, Kasumi had to carry a tired Rina on her back.  
  
“Stop overexerting yourself, geez.”  
  
“It’s your fault, Kasumin...”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, if you say so…”  
  
Rina’s hearing soon grew fuzzier and fuzzier, Kasumi’s droning lulling her deeper and deeper into sleep.  
  
And then, Rina finds herself completely vivid, completely conscious in a garden of pure white flowers.  
  
Two figures tend to the flowers, two figures _extremely_ familiar yet she just _couldn’t _place who they were-  
  
A witch, playful and powerful. A fallen celestial, vengeful yet benevolent. Just…who were they?  
  
Rina tries to reach, reach _out_ but couldn’t, she was choking, she was drowning, black creeps in from all edges of her vision, she tries so hard to _focus_ but her struggling went unnoticed.  
  
The two figures slowly turn their heads to face her.  
  
And then, nothing.  
  
\---  
  
Kasumi thought that Rina should really take care of her sleep schedule. Though, she didn’t mind carrying her like this every so often. The rise and fall of her close friend’s chest was a comforting presence, and so was her rhythmical breathing.  
  
It was early in the afternoon, but even then, lodging at an inn didn’t seem like too much of a bad idea.  
  
After all, _something_ told her that she needed to.  
  
The heroine walks through the relatively peaceful streets, content in having protected this town’s peace even though she likely would go unappreciated for her efforts.  
She knocks on the door of the inn.  
  
A brunette with long hair, tied with a red ribbon, greeted her.  
  
“Kasumi Nakasu, I presume?”  
  
“Yeah? Who’s asking?”  
  
“Ah, pardon me. I am Shizuku Osaka, guildmaster of the local Adventurer’s Guild which doubles as an inn. You see, news travels fast, and I’d like to thank you- and your talented spellcaster friend- for protecting our town. Rest assured, you will be given recompense.”  
  
The guildmaster, dressed in a simple yet elegant light-blue dress, steps aside to let them in, offering Kasumi a seat and a couch- to sit on and to place Rina on respectively- before continuing.  
  
“I was expecting you for a while, but…I didn’t expect you’d save us all a lot of trouble before we met. Truly, you have my gratitude.”  
  
Rina was placed gently on the couch, and Kasumi flops down on the seat to take a well-deserved rest.  
  
“You’re welcome- but…you were expecting me, _why_?”  
  
Shizuku smiles.  
  
“I saw both of you in my dreams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shizuku joins the party, kind of  
dreams play a big part in this, because perfect dream project  
the figures in Rina's vision-dream are both connected with magic, one from µ's and one from aqours it shouldn't be difficult to figure out who they were


	5. report

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> exposition time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took so long to put out because of life stuff, apologies  
hopefully i made it so that it's not just blatant exposition, tried to put some character development in there
> 
> Also rina is pretty

Odd nightmare aside, Rina woke up feeling incredibly well-rested. On a bed that was far too large and well-kept to be her own, the memories of…whatever happened earlier came back, flooding into her mind. Looking outside the window, it seems like it was…early into the evening, or something around that time.  
  
She really needed to work on her stamina. Sure, she got hit a few times in the earlier fight, but…if that was all it took to tire her out, she worried she’d be more of a burden to Kasumi than an asset. Not to mention she was practically useless aside from disarming the spellcasters- the spellcasters Kasumi didn’t seem to have much an issue dealing with.  
  
Since…you know, she was wearing the antispell charm that _she _made. In that situation, it probably would’ve been much better if Rina did some crowd control.  
  
Rina sits up, holding her head in her palms and rubbing her eyes, yawning soon afterwards.  
  
Speaking of Kasumi…where was she?  
  
Rina was taken out of her grogginess to look around- she found herself afraid of something.  
  
She didn’t know what it was, just that it had something to do with the heroine. And something to do with her being left. _Alone._  
  
Thankfully, her eyes soon landed on an opulent envelope placed on a pillow.  
  
Kasumi’s signature was foreign to Rina, but…she knew it was her. It even had a heart on it. Kasumi and her strange gestures and mannerisms never failed to intrigue Rina…  
  
She takes it a _bit_ too hastily, crumpling the expensive envelope a bit more than she intended.  
  
_Dearest Rina-chan,  
  
_ _Hope you aren’t too lonely without me! If I haven’t replaced this note with a new one yet, that means I’m just in the lobby, eating. Which means you woke up just in time for dinner- in that case, join us!  
  
Shizuku-chan was wonderful enough to give us a room for free. Make sure to thank her later, okay?_  
  
_With love,  
Kasumi  
  
_Rina sighs in relief. So Kasumi _didn’t_ leave her behind.  
  
That was a baseless fear, and Rina knew it.  
  
Preventing her mind from wandering into even more dangerous territory, she quickly hops off the bed.  
  
\---  
  
Rina descended the stairs, her golden eyes quickly scanning the lobby for wherever Kasumi was. It wasn’t particularly difficult to spot the ashen-haired girl, and if that wasn’t huge enough of a clue, there was always her distinctive voice.  
  
She seemed to be enjoying herself, that much Rina could tell. Rina could tell a lot about Kasumi, being the only person she’s kept in contact with over the years.  
  
And sure enough, there Kasumi was, on a table with three seats- two of them occupied.  
  
Rina, feeling a mixture of both relief and anxiety, made her way over to said table. Kasumi was done with her meal, while the other girl was halfway through. The food that was set out for Rina went untouched.  
  
She pondered a bit on how to announce her presence, as the two seemed pretty engrossed in whatever they were talking about. Now that she was closer…Kasumi seemed to _really _enjoy the other’s presence. From what she could hear, they were talking about...fighting?  
  
“Ah, Rina-chan’s finally joined us!”  
  
She noticed, alright. Kasumi pat the empty seat right next to her.  
  
“Your food’s getting cold, c’mon, hurry!”  
  
Instinctively, as the other, as of now unknown girl looked at her, Rina obscured her face with her hand, itself covered by her oversized robe. The brunette flashes her a smile.  
  
Rina averts her eyes.  
  
“Jeez, don’t be shy, Rina-chan. Shizuku-chan doesn’t bite!”  
  
“Kasumi-san has told me a lot about you, Rina-san.”  
  
“H-H…hi.”  
  
Talking to Kasumi was so natural, and so was conversing with traders in a formal tone, but…talking to someone who was (assumedly) Kasumi’s friend was nervewracking. What was she expected to say?  
  
Kasumi’s face told Rina that the mischievous heroine wanted to laugh so badly at her suffering, but thankfully she didn’t.  
  
“Gee, Shizuku-chan, you’re so pretty that Rina-chan’s speechless~”  
  
“Th-that’s-!”  
  
“I’m just messing with ya, Rina-chan. Come over here already, jeez.”  
  
She _aggressively_ pats the chair beside her, enough to snap Rina out of her nerve-induced trance.  
  
“We’ve been waiting for you, you know.”  
  
“I’ve something important to tell the both of you.”  
  
“Yeah, that. Shizuku-chan is a meanie and doesn’t want to tell me before you, so I’m glad you’re here now!”  
  
Rina, finally seated and relatively comfortable, listens while she began to eat. Thankfully, with Kasumi around, she didn’t need to talk much. That has always been the case.  
  
“Now, you weren’t awake for this, Rina-san, but I told Kasumi-san about how I expected your arrival.”  
  
“Mhm, you never really explained that. What was that about?”  
  
“I’m getting there. But…first, I suppose I should let you know that you two weren’t the only figures I saw in my dream. Six other figures were present in the vision…but you two were the clearest, and you two more or less introduced yourselves in it. Hence why I knew your names. Although I’m not too certain, I feel as if it may have something to do with our relative proximity.”  
  
Shizuku takes a small break to sip her tea.  
  
“Rina-san, you live in a tower deep inside a nearby forest, correct?”  
  
“Y…yes! Um. H-how…did you know that?”  
  
“Well…I suppose I could say I’m plenty more attuned to the world of dreams than most. Dreams provide crucial information, if you know how to read, interpret, and manipulate them. Which is something I’m good at, and I’m proud of it.”  
  
“Dream magic? That’s a thing?”  
  
“I don’t think it’s a form of magic, really…I haven’t really told you my profession aside from being the leader of this guild, but I’m an oracle. A seer. Some dreams I can analyze through magical means, but…my dream involving you two…it was different. It felt different. It felt as if I were actually there, and considering how much control I have over my dreams…it’s been an extremely long time since I’ve experienced one I had no control over. Now, I don’t believe in fate, but I don’t think it’s impossible that nine of us- including us three- were destined to be together.”  
  
“Wait, wait. Slow down, Shizuku-chan. You can’t just dump all that info on us and expect us to remember it all!”  
  
“…it’s not that hard to understand..?” Rina comments, in a small voice.  
  
“Well _excuse_ me for not being a genius like you two are!” Kasumi lets out a huff, puffing her cheeks in what seemed to be legitimate frustration.  
  
Shizuku’s wore a nervous smile.  
  
“M-my apologies, Kasumi-san. The short version is that, nine of us are connected to each other, somehow. And since we’re here, that makes three of us.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
“I mean, so what? It’s cool, and all, that we’re connected and stuff, but…why does it matter?”  
  
“Oh, right, right. Hm…”  
  
Rina found Shizuku’s presence…not as overwhelming as she expected it to be. The guildmaster seemed to respect her decision not to speak. But then again, she probably wasn’t the first mage with a lack of social skills that the guildmaster has dealt with. Shizuku sips her drink, before continuing.  
  
“When I was in the dream, there was this…encroaching sense of dread. Primal terror. The kind that you can’t really shake. And, obviously, fear is a _bad_ sign in a prophetic dream.”  
  
“So…something bad is gonna happen?”  
  
Shizuku nods.  
  
“And it’s likely something we’d need the other six people to stop.”  
  
“Hm…possibly unrelated question, but is this- in any way- related to the weird shadow attacks?”  
  
“I would say so. I also have reason to believe that the six other people we have yet to meet are being attacked by the same phantomlike creatures. Of course,_ right now _they’re easy to dispatch, but…”  
  
“…they’ve recently gotten stronger and increased in numbers, yeah.”  
  
“If we don’t eliminate the source soon, I fear that it may quickly spiral out of control. Their growth in power is logistical- and even in your current state, Kasumi-san, I don’t think you can handle them all on your own.”  
  
Kasumi’s expression was one of irritation. But she didn’t protest, in fact, she seemed to agree.  
  
“I guess you’re right. They used to go down with one slash, but now only few of them do- most of 'em never just stay down. And considering monsters are a piece of cake for me, it’s worrying for those who can’t exactly defend themselves, and for those who aren’t strong enough…”  
  
“I…I’ll do my best, Kasumin.”  
  
Kasumi’s thoughtful trance was broken as she turns to face Rina with a mildly startled look, which quickly grew into a smile.  
  
“Of course you will, Rina-chan. In fact, I count on it.”  
  
“A-and…um, sorry about being a deadweight. I-“  
  
“Hup- let me stop you right there, Rina. I won’t listen to you put yourself down, okay? I’ve seen good spellcasters. Heck, I’ve even fought alongside legendary mages. But all of ‘em pale in comparison to you, Rina-chan.”  
  
“You’re just saying that…”  
  
“Sheesh, how many times do I have to remind you- your charm saved me countless times from all manner of magic. That’s not something just anyone can do. Not to mention you’re not just a spellcaster. You’re a spell_crafter_. Stop being stupid, Rina-chan. You’re supposed to be smarter than I am, that’s like, our entire dynamic.” The heroine pouts, tension effectively erased from the air in a way that only Kasumi could achieve.  
  
Though Rina’s expression didn’t show it, Kasumi- and Shizuku- knew she was definitely a bit irritated. Mostly because she didn’t exactly know how to react to it, so she just lets out a confused sigh.  
  
Shizuku lets out a soft giggle at the exchange between the two. The seer had put her true ability- analysis, to use long ago, although that was something her companions didn’t really need to know.  
  
“Objectively speaking, Rina-san, considering you’re one of the nine people who were…more or less chosen, to fight against whatever’s plaguing these lands, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to think you’re better than most, does it?”  
  
“B-but…I don’t _want_ to be better than everyone.”  
  
“Well, you are. So suck it up, and deal with it.” Kasumi’s angry pout made itself known, a sign that Kasumi was close to being completely done.  
  
Shizuku found this a bit worrying, so she sets out to diffuse the situation in whatever way she can.  
  
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with being better than people, Rina-san.”  
  
A solemn glint in Shizuku’s eyes made Rina question the truth behind that statement, before she continues.  
  
“There will always be detractors. Personally, I think there’s nothing wrong with power as long as you use it to help those in need. A small question, Rina-chan. In a situation where you have to save a group of people, would you rather be powerful or weak?”  
  
“…F-fine. I’m just…not used to attention. I don’t think I like it..?”  
  
“Pardon my bluntness, but why do you believe that?”  
  
“I-I…Um..!”  
  
Kasumi interjects.  
  
“I can explain. As a kid, people found Rina creepy. You know, ‘cuz they couldn’t read her, things like what she’s thinking, and stuff. And because of that, and her magic affinity, she gets left alone. Which only makes people think she’s even creepier. Hell, I’ve even beat up some kids who were spreading rumors about Rina casting curses or whatever. Got into trouble, but hey. They deserved it.”  
  
She then turns to Rina, with a seriousness to her tone, and her arms held out towards her, and an odd sense of determination and responsibility in her eyes.  
  
“You’re not used to attention, Rina-chan, but I promise I’ll help you get used to it. And then…maybe this'll be an opportunity to expose you to actually _good_ attention.”  
  
Shizuku figured as much. She smiles softly, content in the accuracy of her prediction. Kasumi’s initial aversion to going around the land and teaming up with six other people seemed to be outweighed by her desire to help Rina out of her shell, even though she was…unnecessarily rough to Rina, sometimes, but she supposes that was necessary.  
  
“…”  
  
Without even needing to speak, Rina gets her point across by entering her friend’s comforting, firm embrace. Shizuku found this exchange genuinely heartwarming, but…  
  
“Excuse me.”  
  
Moments like these should be spent in privacy, without the watchful eye of an Analyst.  
  
Besides, she had other things to tend to, now that three of them had been assembled. Kasumi and Rina likely had no idea where to start looking for the others- although Rina’s dreams had the potential to clue her on where to go, she wasn’t as trained as Shizuku was in interpreting and manipulating them.  
  
And so, Shizuku retreats to her quarters, with the intent to enter the world of dreams- looking for their next companions.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this also took so long because i went and wrote a long fight scene that won't occur for like, a long time  
i do not have my priorities straight and it shows
> 
> gonna run out of "re-" words soon


	6. reprioritize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shizuku observes rina and becomes her magic coach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unnecessary worldbuilding because i can't be satisfied with a generic fantasy setting

“Fantastic work, Rina-san!”  
  
The sound of wood clashing against wood resounded through the training yard.  
  
And although her sparring partner was complimenting her skill, Rina couldn’t help but feel a bit offended, especially when Shizuku was quite literally fighting with a hand behind her back. At the moment, Shizuku was both the better spellcaster and the better fighter.  
  
Which was why Rina insisted on training. Lots of things held her back, things that could potentially be her downfall in a true battle.  
  
Rina drops the quarterstaff, doubling over. Speaking of weaknesses…her physical endurance was the greatest one.  
  
As she gasps for her life, Shizuku approaches her, helping her steady herself with her guiding hands.  
  
“Hm…maybe we should take a break?”  
  
Rina nods.  
  
Shizuku patiently waits for Rina to stand back up straight, at which point she would guide the spellcrafter slowly and carefully to a nearby bench.  
  
When Rina got seated, Shizuku excused herself, with a “I’ll be right back, Rina-san.”

In the meantime, the spellcrafter wasn’t ready to call it a day just yet. She wanted to show Kasumi even the slightest bit of improvement once she returned from her mission- dealing with yet another uprising of shadowy creatures, who materialized just a few kilometers out of the town.

If anything, Shizuku’s guild had quick reaction time. As for why the guildmaster herself wasn’t assisting, it was both at the heroine’s request and something she was inclined towards. After all, she was much better at protecting people than being on the offensive, or at least that was Rina’s impression of her so far.

Rina pondered whether she should continue with physical training or if she should fight to her strengths. Either way, Shizuku could match her, so she could really train both. In fact, she wanted to try sparring with her _without_ a staff. Hand-magic was rarely used, due to how risky it is, but Rina had always done it that way.

Soon enough, Shizuku returns, a tray in her hands. On it was a tall glass of water and some fruit.

The guildmaster places the tray beside Rina, seating herself beside it so that the tray separated both her and the spellcrafter.

“Rina-san, no offense, but you don’t seem to be wholly comfortable with using a staff.”

“N-none taken. It’s just that…I need a way to deal with close quarters. Casting my spells…they take a pretty long time, you see…”

“Hm…well, may I see how you go about casting your spells?”  
  
“Ehm, well…it’s a bit difficult to put into words.”  
  
“Oh- so it’s an unorthodox method, then? In that case, wouldn’t it be better if you showed me instead?”  
  
Rina nods, and after a period of recuperation and thoroughly enjoying the drink and fruit Shizuku brought her, she stands back up.  
  
Concentration was obvious in her piercing yellow eyes, so much so that even those inept in reading Rina’s emotion (or lack thereof) could notice. Casting simple spells didn’t require this much level of concentration from the spellcaster, so this was likely more complex than simple element manipulation.  
  
She holds her arms out in front of her, soon after causing a spinning magic circle to materialize in the air in front of her. Rina lets out a sigh, letting down one of her arms. And although Rina was obviously not done yet, Shizuku noticed something extremely odd.  
  
The magic circle was…blank. It was nothing more than just a thin circle of light facing away from Rina.  
  
Then came the second portion of her spellcasting. Inscriptions and rotes quickly manifested onto the formerly empty space of the magic circle, similar to a canvas. And again, something odd was that the inscriptions and rotes weren’t necessarily symmetrical. She drew them quickly with her fingers as the circle spun around. One revolution later, she finishes the circle.  
  
From a novice spellcaster’s perspective, the finished spell was deceptively simple, but from Shizuku’s perspective, it was complexity adeptly woven with simplicity. It didn’t look flashy, only having a single ring of inscription and a David’s star. Now this in and of itself was already impressive, but there was another portion to Rina’s standard spellcasting procedure.

And that was her having the ability to ‘store’ spells. Rina holds both her arms out to her sides, making a compressing motion- consequently, reducing the magic circle in size immensely, and once it was the size of her palm, she casts…some sort of spell (Shizuku’s analysis found it to be a stasis sphere) on it, suspending the circle in an orb, said gray orb now orbiting Rina.

Rina did promise to cast a spell, so she’d then immediately summon the orb back to her palm. She sends a pulse of magical energy of the Wind element, causing the gray orb to take on a green color for the tiniest of moments, at which point Rina sends the orb forwards for it to then erupt into a violent tempest.

Before the razorwinds could deal any real damage, though, she dispels it almost instantly.

Rina looks back to Shizuku, an expectant glint in her eyes. Was she asking to be praised?

Shizuku claps her hands, and Rina’s lips seemed to quirk upward the tiniest bit, her eyes again being the most obvious indicator.

She _was_ asking to be praised.

“That was…exceptional! Unlike anything I’ve ever seen before- you demonstrate an understanding of magic that most other spellcrafters I’ve personally met can’t even begin to measure up to.”

“You…think so?”

“Of course! I’m not blessed with the talents of spellcrafting, but I do have a good eye for these kinds of things. How you used so little magical energy for such a devastating effect…kingdoms would do unspeakable things to get their hands on that kind of power. Though, seeing it for myself, I believe that only you could pull something like that off. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I assume you tailor made the spell specifically for that purpose.”

“Y-yeah! I always do, so that I don’t eat up all my magical reserves. It’s not really a secret that most spells are…um, extremely inefficient. I’d never cast a spell I didn’t make myself if I wasn’t desperate…though, simple spells like a fireball don’t really need that treatment since they’re so simple they can’t really be made to be more efficient…”

“I see. And does ‘keeping’ your spells tax you mentally?”

“Of course. I think I can keep…up to three spells, no matter the complexity, at the ready before I struggle with focusing.”

“So focus is both your strength and weakness…say, Rina, why don’t we practice that instead?”

\---

Rina was used to taking her time casting spells, as up to this point all she’s ever needed to do were utility spells and maybe simple offense incantations to defend herself from the creatures of the forest, but Shizuku felt that would be inadequate, considering what they were going to be up against.

Kasumi was doing a fantastic job of fending off the potential invaders, it seems, because both Shizuku and Rina had practically, for the moment at least, forgotten that that was a very real issue.

“Have you tried making your customized magic glyphs purely by thought?”

“Of course. But it’s…pretty difficult to get right, so I use my hand to help guide my thoughts.”

“Mmh. So to cut down on your casting time, I’ll need you to practice that. But, of course, you don’t have to do it all today, Rina-san. I’m positive I can cover you long enough on the battlefield for you to prepare.”

“Alright…I’ll do my best to be faster until then…”

Rina was hoping she’d have to do her part in fighting later rather than sooner, but considering their preparations were more or less done to travel to their next destination- an ancient forest, surrounding a (slightly younger by comparison) kingdom, she feels like she wouldn’t be able to catch a break anytime soon once they started traveling. If what Shizuku said was correct, the attacks will only grow in frequency.

Shizuku certainly seemed confident in her hypothesis that the nine of them, wherever the other six were, were the main targets of the shadowy creatures. She was confident enough to leave her guild in the hands of her trusted assistant, as she had deemed it safer than if she were to stay behind after all.

“Kasumi-san’s headed back here. She’s taken care of the invasion…much quicker than I expected. Which is a good thing- we need all the advantages we could get.”

Rina absentmindedly nodded, so lost in her train of thought that she didn’t notice Shizuku’s messenger and right-hand-person deliver a letter to the guildmaster before leaving.

But then again, most people didn’t even know Shizuku’s messenger existed. A woman who hid in plain sight, a mystery to all but those whom she held dear. A girl that would accompany them for quite some time to come, whether the majority of the traveling party were aware of her presence or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the magic system is based on programming


	7. assailant - intermission

“I mean no offense to your decision-making skills, my lady, but are you sure about this?”

“You worry too much, Karin. And, again- I won’t stop repeating this until you do- it’s just Ai outside the palace!”

A bright blonde-haired warrior princess and her retainer made their way through the main path leading to a kingdom they sought to negotiate with. Behind them was a carriage, not for them, but for supplies and…more or less, peace offerings.

“We’re not exactly on the best terms with…them. They threatened to burn down the forest, for the Muse’s sakes!”

“Well, not if we have anything to say about it. An’ besides, that’s what these- “she pets the horse drawing the carriage behind them, “are for.”

“I still don’t get why we have to submit to their claims, my l- Ai.”

The energetic princess grins.

“That’s what I’m talking about! And, well, they’re not asking for much, are they? I’d like to think they wouldn’t foolishly invade us if they weren’t desperate. I mean, to get to our kingdom you’d have to go through the forest. Sure, they can _try_ to burn it down and invoke the wrath of its protectors, and honestly we could probably just sit back and let ‘em try. But that’d lead to innocent people dying unnecessarily because their leaders were stupid. I’d rather try to convince ‘em otherwise. After all, it’s always better to have more allies, right?”

“Apologies, Ai, but tactically speaking that isn’t always the case…”

“Don’t worry too much, Karin. Besides, if they try to pull anything funny, I’ve got you to depend on! Ain’t that right?!”

“How are you as energetic as ever, I will never know…”

The retainer sighs, although it was one of amusement as a small smile crossed her face.

“Never change, princess.”

“Ai!”

“…Ai.”

\---

The deep-blue haired retainer could’ve seen this outcome from a mile away. In fact, she banked on this exact scenario happening so much that she wore her combat outfit to this excursion, similarly urging Ai to do the same. Although the princess’ outfit was more akin to personalized light armor, Karin’s was specifically tailored to her unorthodox fighting style- in that it was more of a ‘combat suit’, prioritizing flexibility and free motion of all of her extremities in exchange for durability.

Though…it wouldn’t look out of place in a formal event.

Even when bandits inevitably went and tried their luck, aiming to steal whatever cargo Ai and Karin had with them, that didn’t meant Karin had to forgo looking fashionable.

Ai, being the paragon of ‘sparing so many people to the point of stupidity’ that she was, tried to deter them, to warn them of the massive mistake they were making.

It didn’t work.

At which point, the duo did what they do best, and that was beating the crap out of their adversaries.

Ai stomps the ground, sending electricity through the earth which resurfaced in a few-meter radius away from the carriage, forming some sort of dome- a cage of lightning, of sorts, preventing the bandits from leaving if they got cold feet.

A giddy grin crosses the princess’ face as she zips across the small area, grabbing two bandits in the process, and slamming them into the walls of the lightning dome. But she didn’t let up there. Her armaments- specialized gauntlets and boots- served as an impeccable conduit for her latent electric abilities. Electric abilities potent enough to fry regular humans into ash if she truly desired, but where was the fun in that?

Instead, she controlled the voltage and current of her electric attacks to be low enough for her attacks only to sting, only to be enough to stun enemies for a bit longer than a normal strike would. That included her current thunder-dome, and so her end goal was practically to beat up and shock the bandits to the point of submission, without really harming them severely.

And she does just that. The two bandits fell to the ground, and before they could get up, she brings her electrified foot down on the spine of one of them, effectively paralyzing him, and she picks up the other one, only to punch him back into the wall of electricity.

A loop would start as the wall of electricity pushes him back into Ai, which would greet him with a strike that sent him back into the wall. So on and so forth, and Ai got so carried away that she eventually broke through her own wall. That would have been a problem if the bandit were able to get back up, but…she felt that she went past just knocking him out.

She incapacitated the other one just by shocking his spine, after all. Ai couldn’t guarantee if the person outside her thunder dome (which regenerated its wall just as quickly as it vanished) was even _alive_.

That was truly an accident.

While she took on two of them, Karin would be left to take on the remaining three. Not that she minded doing more work than Ai- it’s always been like this. Ai’s _style_ of fighting was more suited to single combat, even though her abilities could easily be fitted to attack groups of people. It was Ai’s decision, and as Ai’s fighting mentor she felt like she had to respect it.

Though, that meant Karin shared a fighting style. But, this certain style paired with her ability was what allowed her to be the feared army-destroyer that she was.

And unlike Ai, she wasn’t one for having fun while fighting. Seeing as her liege clearly intended on sparing the lives of these people, that meant her arsenal of bladed weapons was off the menu. Which wasn’t a problem.

She holds her arms out, palms open. In a flash of _blue_, a pair of black sticks materialized in her hands. While she did this, though, her enemy wasn’t going to wait for her to arm herself before striking. And that was their mistake. The bandit behind her went to stab her in the back, only to be met with a swift roundhouse kick to the face. When she made contact, though, another blue flash emanated from her foot, although it was more of an _explosion_.

The force was so great, it sent the poor bastard into the ground, almost burying his face in it. She jumped up, focusing all of her momentum on a single strike of her weapon on the now-prone bandit’s legs, a loud _crack_ resulting.

If that man wasn’t incapacitated before, he sure was now. The other bandits waver in this display, the flash of regret in their eyes something Karin would have wanted to savor in the past. But Karin was merciful, and in their moment of hesitation, Karin threw one of her sticks at the bandit closest to her.

He catches it.

And that was his mistake.

Almost instantaneously, Karin became a blue blur, regaining physicality at the tip of her weapon which was in the possession of the bandit. And the way he caught it, the tip was pointing behind him.

As soon as she materialized, she brought her foot down in an aerial axe kick, her heel landing straight on the man’s nape. If she struck with just the amount of force she intended to, it wouldn’t have been lethal. But they could verify that later.

The last bandit seemed to be a spellcaster, considering the barrier he set around himself.

A barrier wasn’t going to protect him from her assault anytime soon.

Dropping her sticks, she took a running start towards the barrier.

She then dropkicks the damn thing.

It pushed the bandit back, but his barrier was intact. For now, that was.

Quickly recovering after landing, she wails on the barrier at various points, her kicks about as swift as her punches, and her fighting more of a dance than anything. All of her momentum would be used in another attack- and finally, she finishes her barrage with a wide, powerful kick which lead into her using the momentum to get down and headspin at an _extremely_ inhuman speed. Her legs and feet had the same functionality as blades at this point, and not only did the barrier shatter, but so did the bandit’s focus entirely, causing him to fall unconscious in the violent rupture of his defenses.

Karin stops her dance, gracefully standing back up from a headspin as if she were just lying down. She then dusts herself off before checking out her liege’s situation.

“What do we do with these guys...sheesh, and after I tried to warn ‘em, too…”

“I suppose some people just make bad decisions. We should leave them. They’re not our responsibility. In fact, they should be grateful to you for sparing their worthless lives.”

“Karin, that’s mean.”

“Ai, do you not understand that they _literally tried to rob us_??”

“I do, but still…this is a bit overkill, don’tcha think?”

Karin shrugs. The dome of lightning quickly dissipated at Ai’s command, said princess petting the horse and praising it for not getting spooked.

Admittedly, that horse _has_ seen some things, so maybe this wasn’t enough to faze it.

“Anyway, onwards! To the kingdom-that-threatened-to-burn-down-our-forest!”

With all the energy of a young child, Ai skips along the main road, only stopping to tell Karin to hurry up.


	8. relate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic has so far been me trying to make it seem like i have my shit together when in reality...

~~~

On a field of black and white lilies, a figure looks down into their crystal ball.

“Curious.”

The profaned angel peeks over from her garden.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“There’s a slight deviation from what I predicted would happen.”

The two figures peer into the sphere, finding a bard with an unusual penchant for silence, communicating purely only when necessary, and speaking through her music. This bard reminded the Witch of a certain someone…though, maybe a bit _greener_ than her.

“There’re ten dreamers. Maybe your untimely passing has a hand in this?”

“Maybe…I mean, I _wasn’t_ supposed to die, right?”

The First Witch shakes her head.

“You weren’t supposed to save the world, either. Your group was destined for failure, and yet…”

She lets out a soft chuckle.

“Well, not even _we_ really adhered to what Fate had in store for us. For us who are chosen, the future is far more uncertain. Don’t beat yourself up too much over it.”

The Witch places a comforting hand on the Desecrated’s shoulder.

“Another member just means that they will certainly be the ones to win our war once and for all. Your sacrifice weakened the forces of the other world significantly, and the Dreamers have far more time to work with.”

“…I guess. I just wish I could talk to her, one more time.”

The Witch hums knowingly, a wave of her hand causing the crystal ball to shift. It now focused on a very familiar sight. A pink haired spellcrafter, one with limitless arcane talent yet one with disruptive internal conflict. A catalyst for future change- better and worse.

“Don’t count the possibility out just yet. We should focus on supporting our successor- and possibly, your medium for a message beyond the grave.”

~~~

Kasumi returns to the inn, looking a tad worse for wear but otherwise having a cheery expression on her face. She seemed genuinely happy, though only she knew whether it was because of the people she’s saved or the enemies she defeated.

That didn’t really matter to Rina, though. The spellcrafter had been waiting in the lobby for Kasumi (and so was Shizuku a few moments earlier, but she left to do a final check on their travel supplies) and was quick to greet her.

“Wait, Rina-chan, I know you want to hug me but I’m _filthy_ right now.”

Rina backs up a step or so, but remained standing pretty close to Kasumi.

“How did it go?”

Kasumi winks at Rina, the adventurer practically radiating pride.

“Perfectly! Our side suffered no casualties, and I didn’t get injured either!”

Rina wanted to ask more, but Kasumi already seemed to know her question before she asked as she continues to speak.

“Having help really changes a lot. Even if my allies couldn’t really kill ‘em as easily as I could, they at least take attention away from me. Thankfully, the creatures don’t seem all that intelligent in terms of battle tactics. I was worried, seeing as they have spells and projectile weapons and such…but it seems that’s the extent of their intelligence.”

“For now, at least…” she adds, under her breath, “…and another factor was that there wasn’t as many of them compared to the waves we fought. Good job with evening the playing field last time, by the way. You saved me a lot of hassle there, Rina-chan.”

“I still think I could’ve helped more…”

“I _know_ you could have helped more. I don’t really know much about magic, but Shizuku-chan does. And under her, I believe completely that by our next battle you’ll be far stronger. It was only one fight, your first offensive application. Don’t be too hard on yourself, ‘kay?”

She pats Rina’s head, careful not to get any of the shadowy material and dirt on her.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll…go take a bath.”

Rina steps aside as Kasumi saunters by her, the spellcrafter mulling over her friend’s words. Their last session wasn’t particularly productive aside from showing Shizuku how Rina went about casting spells, but she trusts in the guildmaster to mentor her further in the future.

And speaking of the guildmaster, she returns to the lobby. Rina’s eyes widen a bit, seeing Shizuku’s get-up.

The guildmaster wore a light-blue haori with an elegant floral pattern. Underneath was a white kosode, and she wore black tabi as well. On her hip was a sheathed katana- and although Rina couldn’t see it from this angle, the wooden sheathe had the kanji for ‘Osaka’- Shizuku’s clan, engraved on it.

This outfit and general aesthetic was…more or less alien to Rina, but moreso due to her isolation than anything. But she definitely knew the look fit her.

“I suppose I was…obfuscating the truth a tad, Rina-chan. I am a seer, yes, but I am no magic-user.”

The girl smiles, bowing to Rina in apology, before continuing.

“But then again, neither are you. Completely, that is. The Divine and the Arcane are entirely different things. I am proficient in the arts of the Divine, yet…I sense proficiency in both from you. I won’t be of much help in terms of offensive spell application, I’m afraid. If I- and by extension my bloodline- was, we wouldn’t have to rely so much on swordplay.”

“I-It’s alright. I’ll just learn as much as I c-can from you, right?”

Shizuku giggles softly, warm smile back on her face. Rina wonders how she manages to make something as mundane, as ordinary as that seem elegant. It was truly admirable…

“That would certainly have to be the case. I’ll do my best, Rina.”

“So will I!”

Rina responds with such determination. She was practically itching to get on the road, it seems, the prospect of improving herself so appealing to her. Or was it the prospect of adventure? It could also be the fact that she wants to grow closer to _both_ of her companions.

“Woah, Shizuku-chan! You look awesome!”

Kasumi announces her presence quite loudly, her compliment genuine and appreciated, but her volume not very much so.

“No need to shout, Kasumi-san. I’m right here.”

“Ehehe, sorry~!”

Shizuku sighs, but not out of exasperation. Rina instinctively sidles up to Kasumi.

“W- Hey, Rina, you missed me that much?”

The spellcrafter remains silent, expression deadpan as ever even as she had the ashen-haired adventurer in an embrace.

“I suppose we’re all good to go, then?”

Rina nods.

“Kasumi, I won’t forgive you if you go off on your own again. Take me with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it- ack, Rinaaa, too tight!”

A subtle shift in the wind notifies Shizuku to step outside, the girl excusing herself momentarily.

“Everything ready?”

“Ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Shizuku’s companion was a black-haired girl with gray eyes dressed in complete ninja gear save for a half-face mask in place of a hooded cowl.

Shizuku looks the other in the eye, smirking.

“My, aren’t you excited.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Shizuku…”

“Bad liar. I thought you told our mentors you’d work on that?”

“…It’s not easy to work on, you know…and besides, _you_ do most of the talking anyway!”

“No need to get all emotional.

“I-I’m not?!”

“It’s the gear, isn’t it. You’ve been itching to use it all this time.”

The girl’s face flushes, but she nods anyway.

“Haha~ Even with half your face covered, you’re still adorable, Nana-chan.”

“Setsuna!”

“Oh, cut it out. It’s not like anyone can hear us. And where we’ll be going, does it really matter which of your names I use?”

“W-well! Setsuna sounds cooler, doesn’t it?”

“It does, I admit…well, anyway. Try to hide as long as you can from our new friends, okay? Keep a lookout. Inform me as soon as you see any traces of enemy movement.”

And with that, the girl named Setsuna disappears into the wind, just as silently as she arrived.

~~~

A few hours pass, and the trio-but-actually-quad of Dreamers are on the road to the nearest kingdom.

And although Rina had been doing a great job ignoring it, her newly-acquired headache was growing stronger and stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anata-chan introduction really made a mess of my notes, apologies for the uhh  
o n e m o n t h g a p


	9. rethink

“Oi, Shizuku-chan…let’s take a break…”

“We’re almost there~”

Shizuku’s response could be mistaken as genuine encouragement if not for the sing-song of her voice. Kasumi was tiring quickly, much to most everyone’s surprise.

Or, well, it would be surprising, if not for the fact that the reason she was tiring quickly in the first place was because Rina passed out about half an hour ago. And Kasumi had to carry her for thirty more minutes straight.

“We’re even closer to a good spot to set up camp, though. This part of the road is…Significantly quieter.”

Kasumi’s reaction to Rina passing out was almost uncharacteristic. It was truly a sight to behold, though whether Kasumi broke down due to her closeness with Rina or due to it being her nature behind the thin veil of a ‘heroine’ façade she put on, it was difficult to tell. Even for Shizuku, who had long figured out her ashen-haired travel partner.

“You’re really cruel. Forcing an adorable, lovable heroine to carry her friend…”

“I beg to differ, Kasumin. Had I indulged you in your proposal to set up camp right where Rina passed out, I know you wouldn’t get any rest yourself. Thoughts like, ‘what if _someone_ did this to Rina-chan’, and ‘what if they’re still around’ would flow through your head and you’d be paranoid.”

Shizuku signaled them to stop, and the guildmaster begins taking stock of their possessions.

“Rina-chan and I are flimsy in terms of physical prowess. We need you at your best, Kasumi-san.”

“Hmh…carrying Rina-chan around is hardly my best…”

“You understand what I mean.”

“And I don’t know what you saw, but I don’t get paranoid, _Shi-zu-ku_.”

The ashen-haired heroine glares at the back of the guildmaster’s head, intensity enough to bore a hole through her skull if her sight could harm.

The (so far, surprisingly sadistic) guildmaster turns to face her with a malicious smile.

“Rina! A-Are you okay?! Answer me!” Shizuku says, “…directly quoted from you, Kasumi-san. Would you like me to act out how you cried as well? Although I find difficulty in replicating the raw emotion, you get the point.”

“Th…this stays between us, okay?!”

“I mean…sure~”

“That’s not reassuring at all! You sadist!”

“What does it matter, anyway? I’d imagine people would love to root for a heroine honest with her emotions, rather than a cold, prideful, yet boisterous one like your persona suggests.”

“You think you’ve got me all figured out, do you…”

“Uh-huh~!”

The two would go quiet, Kasumi gently placing Rina and tucking her inside a sleeping bag they packed. Kasumi would overlook Rina for a few minutes, with Shizuku setting up the rest of their temporary camp. It was a heavy silence- and Shizuku couldn’t help but feel like she might have gone too far. She was about to break the silence with an apology, but-

“…It’s a personal thing, Shizuku.”

Kasumi replies melancholic, her eyes…wet.

“Hey, don’t cry. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” Shizuku states with a tone of understanding. “I’ll keep my nose out of your business. You’ll tell us when you’re ready, I bet.”

“Yeah. It’s…something really important. Even then…I doubt I could tell _you_, Shizuku-chan. No offense, but it’s a private matter.”

Kasumi seemed extremely guilty.

“…”

And Shizuku felt she knew almost _exactly_ why.

“…You do know she’ll figure it out sooner or later, right?”

“Heh…I don’t want to hear that from you. You’ve got something you’re hiding, too, so just…please, leave it alone.”

“Mmh. If you see that as the best course of action, I won’t stop you. But lying is hardly the correct way to go about it, Kasumin.”

“I know.”

The sun would completely dip, giving way to the starlit sky.

“I honestly prefer this side of you, Kasumi. It’s much…easier, to communicate with. Whatever it is you’re struggling with- I hope you deal with it soon. Rina-chan will be much better off for it.”

“_I know_. Trust me, I know!”

“Why are you even hiding those kinds of things from her? Logically speaking, you’re just setting yourself up for even more issues down the line.”

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?!”

Shizuku lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Very well.”

Insecurities were things all people experienced, even Shizuku, but…to the guildmaster, this was excessive. Irrational, even.

But Kasumi was hardly rational. Her views skewed by the long period of separation from her childhood friend, with memories serving as her only reminder for the longest time- Rina was still the meek child who would have been alone if not for her. The girl incapable of expressing emotion, yet was extremely talented. The girl who needed her support- and Kasumi was all too willing to provide.

A mix of emotion had always been stirring in her mind the moment she left Rina behind to go on an adventure. The logical half believing that Rina didn’t require her by her side, constantly, anymore- believing that the spellcrafter had grown capable of fending for herself, and the other believing that Rina was still in dire need of her protection.

Recent events brought these emotions to light.

This was a restless night, even with the precautions the guildmaster took for Kasumi to feel safe and devoid of paranoia. With the ashen-haired girl keeping watch over the spellcrafter in her similarly stressful situation, her eyes staring through Rina and her entire form immobilized by internal conflict.

Kasumi would deal with her internal battle with little to no theatrics if left to her devices. Her being silent was a cause for concern, especially for this long, as the guildmaster observes with increasing worry.

Both of them, however, were hoping for one thing.

For Rina to wake soon.

\---

_Choking._

The pink-haired spellcrafter gasps- or tries to, desperately, but the _pressure_-

_She reaches out, dizzy and blindsided._

Her fingertips reached soft silky threads of ash. Familiarity spikes through her- or her mind- or was it pain?

_She felt light, arms going limp._

Her legs dangled off the ground, helpless much like her arms.

_Stranglation._

Muscles tensed at the realization, and panic finally sets in. She’d thrash, only for the grip to become tighter.

_A glint of crimson, a devious smile._

A smile that only grew wider when Rina’s soon-to-be lifeless eyes momentarily flared with recognition, betrayal, and then terror.

_Chained, bound, unconscious._

The silence that followed was deafening. But so was the subsequent burst of color, sound, and sensation.

_Freedom. _

But at what cost?

\---

Rina wakes in a cold sweat, heart rapidly beating. Her memories of the extremely vivid dream quickly dissipated but the confusion and panic remained. She gasps- glad that she could finally breathe, glad that she _was_ able to breathe all along- and takes in the cool night air that did wonders to calm her down, much like an old friend.

The campfire’s embers danced lazily through the night, as the moon hung high casting it’s light on the world. She was safe, and a comforting presence lay beside her.

Restless as she may have been before, the resting heroine looked extremely peaceful, having set her own sleeping bag (albeit hastily, and she wasn’t sleeping entirely on it) directly next to Rina’s. Her pose was still defensive, even while rested, dominant hand resting on the handle of her sheathed sword, her expression tired.

She most likely passed out, as opposed to having willingly slept. Rina couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, since she was almost absolutely certain that she was the cause for this.

Rina mutters her apologies as she rummages as quietly as she can through her belongings, looking for a certain pair of vital items- and she finds them, quickly enough.

Excuse note hastily scribbled, she carefully opens Kasumi’s free palm (the heroine’s hands somehow never calloused, despite her line of work much to Rina’s slight envy) and places the note in there, before closing said palm with the same amount of care. Kasumi was never a heavy sleeper- unless, she fell asleep due to fatigue as opposed to willingly- an occurrence that was all too often in their times at the orphanage.

She’d stand, take a deep breath of the cool night air once more, before strolling off into the thickness of the forest to clear her mind.

More importantly, to try and remember that dream. She…felt as if it were a warning. But for what?

And it wasn’t as certain as a premonition, Rina was completely sure it could be avoided- which then begs the question, how?

The movement would wake the group’s sentinel, the girl making a split second decision to observe her unknowing companion before reporting her excursion to the guildmaster. It wasn’t much of a decision to make, since Shizuku was asleep, but…Old habits were difficult to kick, especially for one such as Setsuna.


End file.
